necke And eke his haire perfumde with Myrrhe a costly crowne did decke Full sixtene yeares he was of age such cunning skill he coulde In darting as to hit his marke farre distant when he would Yet how to handle Bow and shaftes much better did he know Now as he was about that time to bende his horned Bowe A firebrand Persey raught that did vpon the Aultar smoke And dasht him ouertwhart the face with such a violent stroke That all bebattred was his head the bones a sunder broke When Lycabas of Assur lande his moste assured friend And deare companion being no dissembler of his miend Which most entierly did him loue behelde him on the ground Lie weltring with disfigurde face and through that grieuous wound Now gasping out his parting ghost his death he did lament And taking hastly vp the Bow that Atys erst had bent Encounter thou with me he saide thou shalt not long enioy Thy triumphing in brauerie thus for killing of this boy By which thou getst more spight than praise All this was scarsly sed But that the arrow from the string went streyned to the head Howbeit Persey as it hapt so warely did it shunne As that it in his coteplights hung then to him did he runne With Harpe in his hand bestaind with grim Medusas blood And thrust him through the brest therwith â–ª he quothing as he stood Did looke about where Atys lay with dim and dazeling eyes Now wauing vnder endlesse night and downe by him he lies And for to comfort him withall togither with him dies Behold through gredie haste to feight one Phorbas Methions son A Svveuite and of Lybie lande one callde Amphimedon By fortune sliding in the blood with which the ground was weâ— Fell downe and as they woulde haue râ—se Perseus fauchon met With both of them Amphimedon vpon the ribbes he smote And with the like celeritie he cut me Phorbas throte But vnto Erith Actors sonne that in his hand did holde A brode browne Bill with his short sword he durst not be too bolde To make approch With both his handes a great and massie cup Embost with cunning portrayture aloft he taketh vp And sendes it at him He spewes vp red bloud and falling downe Upon his backe against the ground doth knocke his dying crowne Then downe he Polydemon throwes extract of royall race And Abaris the Scithian and Clytus in like case And Elice with his vnshorne lockes and also Phlegias And Lycet olde Speâ—chefies sonne with diuers other mo That on the heapes of corses slaine he treades as he doth go And Phyney daring not presume to méete his foe at hand Did cast a Dart which hapt to light on Idas who did stand Aloofe as neuter though in vaine not medling with the Fray Who casting backe a frowning looke at Phyney thus did say Sith whether that I will or no compeld I am perforce To take a part haue Phyney here him whome thou doste enforce To be thy â—oe and with this wound my wrongfull wound requite But as he from his body pullde the Dart with all his might To throw it at his foe againe his limmes so féebled were With losse of bloud that downe he fell and could not after steare There also lay Odites slaine the chiefe in all the land Next to King Cephey put to death by force of Clymens hand Protenor was by Hypsey killde and Lyncide did as much For Hypsey In the throng there was an auncient man and such a one as loued righteousnesse and greatly feared God Emathion called was his name whome sith his yeares forbod To put on armes he feights with tongue inueying earnestly Against that wicked war the which he banned bitterly As on the Altar he himselfe with quiuering handes did stay One Cromis tipped of his head his head cut off streight way Upon the Altar fell and there his tongue not fully dead Did bable still the banning wordes the which it erst had sed And breathed forth his fainting ghost among the burning brandes Then Brote Hammon brothers twins stout chaÌ„pions of their haÌ„ds In wrestling Pierlesse if so be that wrestling could sustaine The furious force of slicing swordes were both by Phyney slaine And so was Alphit Ceres Priest that ware vpon his crowne A stately Miter faire and white with Tables hanging downe Thou also Iapets sonne for such affaires as these vnméete But méete to tune thine instrument with voyce and Ditie swéete The worke of peace wert thither callde th'assemblie to reioyce And for to set the mariage forth with pleasant singing voyce As with his Uiall in his hand he stoode a good way off There commeth to him Petalus and sayes in way of scoffe Go sing the resdue to the ghostes about the Stygian Lake And in the left side of his heade his dagger poynt he strake He sanke downe deade with fingers still yet warbling on the string And so mischaunce knit vp with wo the song that he did sing But fierce Lycormas could not beare to sée him murdred so Without reuengement Up he caught a mightie Leauer tho That wonted was to barre the doore a right side of the house And therewithall to Petalus he lendeth such a souse Full in the noddle of the necke that like a snetched Oxe Streight tuÌ„bling downe against the ground his groueling face he knox And Pelates a Garamant attempted to haue caught The left doore barre but as thereat with stretched hand he raught One Coryt sonne of Marmarus did with a Iauelin stricke Him through the hand that to the wood fast nayled did it sticke As Pelates stoode fastned thus one Abas goard his side He could not fall but hanging still vpon the poste there dide Fast nayled by the hand And there was ouerthrowne a Knight Of Perseyes band callde Melaney and one that Dorill hight A man of greatest landes in all the Realme of Nasamone That occupide so large a grounde as Dorill was there none Nor none that had such store of corne there came a Dart a skew And lighted in his Coddes the place where present death doth sew When Alcion of Barcey he that gaue this deadly wound Beheld him yesking forth his ghost and falling to the ground With warrie eyes the white turnde vp content thy selfe he said With that same litle plot of grounde whereon thy corse is layde In steade of all the large fat fieldes which late thou didst possesse And with that word he left him dead Perâ—eus to redresse This slaughter and this spightfull taunt streight snatched out the Dart That sticked in the fresh warme wound and with an angrie hart Did send it at the throwers head the Dart did split his nose Euen in the middes and at his necke againe the head out goes So that it péered both the wayes Whiles fortune doth support And further Persey thus he killes but yet in sundrie sort Two brothers by the mother tone callde Clytie tother Dane For on a Dart through both his thighes did Clytie take
a chariot sate well ordered should direct His mynd by reason in the way of vertue and correct His feerce affections with the bit of temprance least perchaunce They taking bridle in the teath lyke wilfull iades doo praunce A way and headlong carie him to euery filthy pit Of vyce and drinking of the same defyle his soule with it Or else doo headlong harrie him vppon the rockes of sin And ouerthrowing forcibly the chariot he sits in Doo teare him woorse than euer was Hippolytus the sonne Of Theseus when he went about his fathers wrath too shun This worthie worke in which of good examples are so many This Ortyard of Alcimous in which there wants not any Herb tree or frute that may mans vse for health or pleasure serue This plenteous horne of Acheloy which iustly dooth deserue Too beare the name of treasorie of knowledge I â—resent Too your good Lordship once ageinâ— not as a member rent Or parâ—ed from the resdew of the body any more But fully now accomplished desiring you therfore Too let your noble courtesie and fauor counteruayle My faults where Art or eloquence on my behalf dooth fayle For sure the marke whereat I shoote is neyther wreathes of bay Nor name of Poet no nor meede but cheefly that it may Bee lyked well of you and all the wise and lerned sort And next that euery wyght that shall haue pleasure for to sport Him in this gardeine may as well beare wholsome frute away As only on the pleasant â—â—owres his rechlesse senses stay But why seeme I theis doubts too cast as if that he who tooke With fauor and with gentlenesse a parcell of the booke Would not likewyse accept the whole or euen as if that they Who doo excell in wisdome and in lerning would not wey A wyse and lerned woorke aryght or else as if that I Ought ay too haue a speciall care how all men doo apply My dooings too their owne behoof as of the former twayne I haue great hope and confidence so would I also fayne The other should according too good meening find successe If otherwyse the fault is theyrs not myne they must confesse And therefore breefly too conclude I turne ageine too thee O noble Erle of Leycester whose lyfe God graunt may bee As long in honor helth and welth as auncient Nestors was Or rather as Tithonussis that all such students as Doo trauell too enrich our toong with knowledge heretofore Not common too our vulgar speech may dayly more and more Proceede through thy good furtherance and fauor in the same Too all mens profit and delyght and thy eternall fame And that which is a greater thing our natyue country may Long tyme enioy thy counsell and thy trauell too her stay At Barwicke the .xx. of Aprill 1567. Your good L. most humbly too commaund Arthur Golding Too the Reader I Would not wish the simple sort offended for too bée When in this booke the heathen names of feyned Godds they sée The trewe and euerliuing God the Paynims did not knowe Which caused them the name of Godds on creatures too bestow For nature beeing once corrupt and knowledge blynded quyght By Adams fall those little séedes and sparkes of heauenly lyght That did as yit remayne in man endeuering foorth too burst And wanting grace and powre too growe too that they were at furst Too superstition did decline and draue the fearefull mynd Straunge woorshippes of the liuing God in creatures for too fynd The which by custome taking roote and growing so too strength Through Sathans help possest the hartes of all the world at length Some woorshipt al the hoste of heauen some deadmens ghostes bones Sum wicked féends sum wormes fowles herbes fishes trées stones The fyre the ayre the sea the land and euery roonning brooke Eche queachie groue eche cragged cliffe the name of Godhead tooke The nyght and day the fléeting howres the seasons of the yéere And euery straunge and monstruous thing for Godds mistaken wéere There was no vertue no nor vice there was no gift of mynd Or bodye but some God thertoo or Goddesse was assignde Of health and sicknesse lyfe and death of néedinesse and wealth Of peace and warre of loue and hate of murder craft and stealth Of bread and wyne of slouthfull sléepe and of theyr solemne games And euery other tryfling toy theyr Goddes did beare the names And looke how euery man was bent too goodnesse or too ill He did surmyse his foolish Goddes enclyning too his will For God perceyuing mannes peruers and wicked will too sinne Did giue him ouer too his lust too sinke or swim therin By meanes wherof it camâ— too passe as in this booke yée sée That all theyr Goddes with whoordome theft or murder blotted bée Which argues them too bee no Goddes but woorser in effect Than they whoos 's open poâ—â—nishment theyr â—ooings dooth detect Whoo séeing Ioue whom heathen folke doo arme with triple fyre In shape of Eagle â—â—ll or swan too winne his foule desyre Or grysly Mars theyr God of warre intangled in a net By Venus husband purposely too trappe him warely set Whoo séeing Saturne eating vp the children he begate Or Venus dalying wantonly with euery lustie mate Whoo séeing Iuno play the scold or Phoebus moorne and rew For losse of her whom in his rage through iealous moode he slew Or else the suttle Mercurie that beares the charmed rod Conueying neate and hyding them would take him for a God For if theis faultes in mortall men doo iustly merit blame What greater madnesse can there bée than too impute the same Too Goddes whoos 's natures ought too bee most perfect pure and bright Most vertuous holly chaast and wyse most full of grace and lyght But as there is no Christen man that can surmyse in mynd That theis or other such are Goddes which are no Goddes by kynd So would too God there were not now of christen men profest That worshipt in theyr déedes theis Godds whose names they doo detest Whoose lawes wée kéepe his thralles wée bée and he our God indéede So long is Christ our God as wée in christen lyfe procéede But if wée yéeld too fleshlye lust too lucre or too wrath Or if that Enuy Gluttony or Pryde the maystry hath Or any other kynd of sinne the thing the which wée serue Too bée accounted for our God most iustly dooth deserue Then must wée thinke the learned men that did theis names frequent Some further things and purposes by those deuises ment By Ioue and Iuno vnderstand all states of princely port By Ops and Saturne auncient folke that are of elder sort By Phoebus yoong and lusty brutes of hand and courage stout By Mars the valeant men of warre that loue too feight it out By Pallas and the famous troupe of all the Muses nyne Such folke as in the sciences and vertuous artes doo shyne By Mercurie the suttle sort that vse too filch and lye With théeues and Merchants
haue thought They bad bene made by cunning hand or out of waxe bene wrought More cleare they were a hundreth fold than is the Christall stone In all his forehead fearfull frowne or wrinkle there was none No fierce no grim nor griefly looke as other cattle haue But altogether so demure as friendship séemde to craue Agenors daughter marueld much so tame a beast to sée But yet to touche him at the first too bolde she durst not bée Annon she reaches to his mouth hir hand with herbes and flowres The louing beast was glad thereof and neither frownes nor lowres But till the hoped ioy might come with glad and fauning cheare He lickes hir hands and scarce ah scarce the resdue he forbeare Sometime he friskes and skippes about and showes hir sport at hand Annon he layes his snowie side against the golden sand So feare by little driuen away he offred eft his brest To stroke and coy and eft his hornes with flowers to be drest At last Europa knowing not for so the Maide was calde On whome she venturde for to ride was nerawhit appalde To set hir selfe vpon his backe Then by and by the God From maine drie land to maine moyst Sea gan leysurly to plod At first he did but dip his féete within the outmost waue And backe againe then further in another plunge he gaue And so still further till at the last he had his wished pray Amid the déepe where was no meanes to scape with life away The Ladie quaking all for feare with rufull countnance cast Ay toward shore from whence she came held with hir righthand fast One of his hornes and with the left did stay vpon his backe The weather flaskt and whisked vp hir garments being slacke Finis secundi Libri ¶ THE THIRD BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis THe God now hauing laide aside his borrowed shape of Bull Had in his likenesse shewde himself And with his pretie trull Tane landing in the I le of Crete When in that while hir Sire Not knowing where she was become sent after to enquire Hir brother Cadmus charging him his sister home to bring Or neuer for to come againe wherein he did a thing For which he might both iustly kinde and cruell called bée When Cadmus ouer all the world had sought for who is hée That can detect the thefts of Ioue and no where could hir sée Then as an outlaw to auoyde his fathers wrongfull yre He went to Phebus Oracle most humbly to desire His heauenly counsell where he would assigne him place to dwell An Hecfar all alone in field quoth Phebus marke hir well which neuer bare the pinching yoke nor drew the plough as yit Shall méete thée follow after hir and where thou séest hir sit There builde a towne and let thereof Beotia be the name Downe from Parnasus stately top scarce fully Cadmus came When royling softly in the vale before the herde alone He saw an Hecfar on whose necke of seruage print was none He followde after leysurly as hir that was his guide And thanked Phebus in his heart that did so well prouide Now had he past Cephifus forde and eke the pleasant groundes About the Citie Panope conteinde within those boundes The Hecfar staide and lifting vp hir forehead to the skie Full séemely for to looke vpon with hornes like braunches hie Did with hir lowing fill the Ayre and casting backe hir eie Upon the rest that came aloofe as softly as she could Knéelde downe and laide hir hairie side against the grassie mould Then Cadmus gaue Apollo thankes and falling flat bylow Did kisse the ground and haile the fields which yet he did not know He was about to sacrifice to Ioue the Heauenly King And bad his seruants goe and fetch him water of the spring An olde forgrowne vnfelled wood stoode neare at hand thereby And in the middes a queachie plot with Sedge and Oysiers hie Where courbde about with peble stone in likenesse of a bow There was a spring with siluer streames that forth thereof did â—low Here lurked in his lowring den God Mars his griesly Snake With golden scales and firie eyes beswolne with poyson blake Thrée spirting tongues thrée rowes of téeth within his head did sticke No sooner had the Tirian folke set foote within this thicke And queachie plot and deped downe their bucket in the well But that to buscle in his den began this Serpent fell And péering with a marble head right horribly to hisse The Tirians let their pitchers slip for sodaine feare of this And waxing pale as any clay like folke amazde and flaight Stoode trembling like an Aspen leafe The specled serpent straight Commes trailing out in wauing linkes and knottie rolles of scales And bending into bunchie boughts his bodie forth he hales And lifting vp aboue the wast himselfe vnto the Skie He ouerlooketh all the wood as huge and big welnie As is the Snake that in the Heauen about the Nordren Pole Deuides the Beares He makes no stay but deales his dreadfull dole Among the Tirians Whether they did take them to their tooles Or to their héeles or that their feare did make them stand like fooles And helpe themselues by none of both he snapt vp some aliue And swept in others with his taile and some he did depriue Of life with rankenesse of his breath and other some againe He stings and poysons vnto death till all at last were staine Now when the Sunne was at his heigth and shadowes waxed short And Cadmus saw his companie make tarience in that sort He marueld what should be their let and went to séeke them out His harnesse was a Lions skin that wrapped him about His weapons were a long strong speare with head of yron tride And eke a light and piercing Dart. And therevnto beside Worth all the weapons in the world a stout and valiant hart When Cadmus came within the wood and saw about that part His men lie slaine vpon the ground and eke their cruell fo Of bodie huge stand ouer them and licking with his blo And blasting tongue their sorie woundes well trustie friendes quoth he I eyther of your piteous deathes will streight reuenger be Or else will die my selfe therefore With that he raughting fast A mightie Milstone at the Snake with all his might it cast The stone with such exceding force and violence forth was driuen As of a fort the bulwarkes strong and walles it would haue riuen And yet it did the Snake no harme his scales as hard and tough As if they had bene plates of mayle did fence him well inough So that the stone rebounded backe against his freckled slough But yet his hardnesse saude him not against the piercing dart For hitting right betwéene the scales that yéelded in that part Whereas the ioynts doe knit the backe it thirled through the skin And pierced to his filthy mawe and gréedy guts within He fierce with wrath wrings backe his head and looking on the stripe The
brest who no such matter dréedes With wicked weapon he did pierce As Toxey doubting stood What way to take desiring both t'aduenge his brothers blood And fearing to be murthered as his brother was before Meleager to dispatch all doubts of musing any more Did heate his sword for companie in bloud of him againe Before Plexippus blud was cold that did thereon remaine Althaea going toward Church with presents for to yild Due thankes and worship to the Gods that for hir sonne had kild The Boare beheld hir brothers brought home dead and by and by She beate hir brest and filde the towne with shrieking piteously And shifting all hir rich aray did put on mourning wéede But when she vnderstoode what man was doer of the déede She left all mourning and from teares to vengeance did procéede There was a certaine firebrand which when Oenies wife did lie In childebed of Meleager she chaunced to espie The Destnies putting in the fire and in the putting in She heard them speake these words as they his fatall thréede did spin O lately borne like time we giue to thée and to this brand And when they so had spoken they deparâ—ed out of hand Immediatly the mother caught the blazing bough away And quenched it This bough she kept full charely many a day And in the kéeping of the same she kept hir sonne aliue But now intending of his life him clearly to depriue She brought it forth and causing all the coales and shiuers to Be layëd by she like a foe did kindle fire thereto Fowre times she was about to cast the firebrand in the flame Fowre times she pulled backe hir hand from doing of the same As mother and as sister both she stroue what way to go The diuers names drew diuersly hir stomacke to and fro Hir face waxt often pale for feare of mischiefe to ensue And often red about the eies through heate of ire she grew One while hir looke resembled one that threatned cruelnesse Another while ye would haue thought she minded pitiousnesse And though the cruell burning of hir heart did drie hir teares Yet burst out some And as a Boate which tide contrarie beares Against the winde féeles double force and is compeld to yéelde To both So Thesties daughter now vnable for to wéelde Hir doubtfull passions diuersly is caried of and on And chaungeably she waxes calme and stormes againe anon But better sister ginneth she than mother for to be And to thintent hir brothers ghostes with bloud to honor she In meaning to be one way kinde doth worke another way Against kinde When the plagie fire waxt strong she thus did say Let this same fire my bowels burne And as in cursed hands The fatall wood she holding at the Hellish Altar stands She said ye triple Goddesses of wreake ye Hâ—lhounds thrée Beholde ye all this furious fact and sacrifice of mee I wreake and do against all right with death must death be payde On mischiefe mischiefe must be heapt on corse must corse be laide Confounded let this wicked house with heaped sorrowes bée Shall Oenie ioy his happy sonne in honor for to sée And Thestie mourne bereft of his Nay better yet it were That eche with other companie in mourning you should beare Ye brothers Ghostes and soules new dead I wish no more but you To féele the solemne obsequies which I prepare as now And that mine offring you accept which dearly I haue bought The yssue of my wretched wombe Alas alas what thought I for to doe O brothers I besech you beare with me I am his mother so to doe my hands vnable be His trespasse I confesse deserues the stopping of his breath But yet I doe not like that I be Author of his death And shall he then with life and limme and honor to scape frée And vaunting in his good successe the King of Calidon bée And you deare soules 〈◊〉 raked vp but in a little dust I will not surely suffer it But let the villaine trust That he shall die and draw with him to ruine and decay His Kingdome Countrie and his Sire that doth vpon him stay Why where is now the mothers heart and pitie that should raigne In Parents and the ten Monthes paines that once I did sustaine O would to God thou burned had a babie in this brand And that I had not tane it out and quencht it with my hand That all this while thou liued hast my goodnesse is the cause And now most iustly vnto death thine owne desert thée drawes Receiue the guerâ—on of thy déede and render thou agen Thy twice giuen life by bearing first and secondarly when I caught this firebrand from the flame or else come deale with me As with my brothers and with them let me entumbed be I would and cannot What then shall I stand to in this case One while my brothers corses seeme to prease before my face With liuely Image of their deaths Another while my minde Doth yéelde to pitie and the name of mother doth me blinde Noâ— wo is me To let you haue the vpper hand is sinne But neâ—ethelesse the vpper hand O brothers doe you win â–ª Condâ—cioâ—ly that when that I to comfort you withall Haue wrought this feate my selfe to you resort in person shall This sed she turnde away hir face and with a trembling hand Did cast the deathfull brand amid the burning fire The brand Did eyther sigh or séeme to sigh in burning in the flame Which sorie and vnwilling was to fasten on the same Meleager being absent and not knowing ought at all Was burned with this flame and felt his bowels to appall With secret fire He bare out long the paine with courage stout But yet it grieued him to die so cowardly without The shedding of his bloud He thought Anceus for to be A happie man that dide of wound With sighing called he Upon his aged father and his sisters and his brother And lastly on his wife to and by chaunce vpon his mother His paine encreased with the fire and fell therewith againe And at the selfe same instant quight extinguisht were both twaine And as the ashes soft and hore by leysure ouergrew The glowing coales so leysurely his spirit from him drew The drouped stately Calydon Both yong and olde did mourne The Lords and Commons did lament and maried wiues with torne And tattred haire did crie alas His father did beray His horie head and face with dust and on the earth flat lay Lamenting that he liued had to sée that wofull day For now his mothers giltie hand had for that cursed crime Done execution on hir selfe by sword before hir time If God to me a hundred mouthes with sounding tongues should send And reason able to conceyue and therevnto should lend Me all the grace of eloquence that ere the Muses had I could not shew the wo wherewith his sisters were bestad Unmindfull of their high estate their naked brests they smit Untill they made
emptie throte with swallowing and in stead Of food deuoures the lither ayre But when that â—léepe with nyght Was shaken of immediatly a furious appetite Of féeding gan too rage in him which in his gréedy gummes And in his meatlesse maw dooth reigne vnstauncht Anon there cummes Before him whatsoeuer liues on sea in aire or land And yit he crieth still for more And though the platters stand Before his face full furnished yit dooth he still complayne Of hungar crauing meate at meale The food that would susteine Whole householdes Towneships Shyres and Realmes suffyce not him alone The more his pampred pauÌ„ch consumes y e more it maketh mone And as the sea receyues the brookes of all the worldly Realmes And yit is neuer satisfyde for all the forreine streames And as the fell and rauening fyre refuseth neuer wood But burneth faggots numberlesse and with a furious mood The more it hath the more it still desyreth euermore Encreacing in deuouring through encreasement of the store So wicked Erisicthons mouth in swallowing of his meate Was euer hungry more and more and longed ay to eate Meate tolld in meate and as he ate the place was empty still The hungar of his brinklesse Maw the gulf that nowght might fill Had brought his fathers good too nowght But yit continewed ay His cursed hungar vnappeasd and nothing could alay The flaming of his starued throte At length when all was spent And intoo his vnfilled Maw bothe goods and lands were sent An only daughter did remayne vnworthy too haue had So lewd a father Hir he sold so hard he was bestad But shée of gentle courage could no bondage well abyde And therfore stretching out her hands too seaward there besyde Now saue mée quoth shée from the yoke of bondage I thée pray O thou that my virginitie enioyest as a pray Neptunus had it Who too this her prayer did consent And though her maister looking backe for after him shée went Had newly séene her yit he turnd hir shape and made hir man And gaue her looke of fisherman Her mayster looking than Upon her sayd Good fellow thou that on the shore doost stand With angling rod and bayted hooke and hanging lyne in hand I pray thée as thou doost desyre the Sea ay calme too thée And fishes for to byght thy bayt and striken still too bée Tell where the frizzle topped wench in course and sluttish géere That stoode right now vppon this shore for well I wote that héere I saw her standing is become For further than this place No footestep is appeering Shée perceyuing by the cace That Neptunes gift made well with her and béeing glad too sée Herself enquyrd for of herself sayd thus who ere you bée I pray you for too pardon mée I turned not myne eye A tonesyde ne a toother from this place but did apply My labor hard And that you may the lesser stand in dowt So Neptune further still the Art and craft I go abowt As now a whyle no liuing Wyght vppon this leuell sand Myself excepted neyther man nor woman héere did stand Her maister did beléeue her words and turning backward went His way beguyld and streight too her her natiue shape was sent But when her father did perceyue his daughter for too haue A bodye so transformable he oftentymes her gaue For monny but the damzell still escaped now a Mare And now a Cow and now a Bird a Hart a Hynd or Hare And euer fed her hungry Syre with vndeserued fare But after that the maladie had wasted all the meates As well of store as that which shée had purchast by her feates Most cused keytife as he was with bighting hée did rend His flesh and by diminishing his bodye did intend Too seede his bodye till that death did spéede his fatall end But what méene I too busye mée in forreine matters thus Too alter shapes within precinct is lawfull euen too vs My Lords For sumtime I am such as you doo now mée sée Sumtyme I wynd mée in a Snake and oft I séeme too bée A Capteine of the herd with hornes For taking hornes on mée I lost a tyne which héeretoofore did arme mée as the print Dooth playnly shew with that same word he syghed and did stinâ— Finis octaui Libri ¶ THE NINTH BOOKE of Ouids Metamorphosis WHat ayleth thée quoth Theseus too sygh so sore and how Befell it thée too get this mayme that is vppon thy brow The noble streame of Calydon made answer who did weare A Garland made of réedes and flags vpon his sedgie heare A gréeuous pennance you enioyne for who would gladly show The combats in the which himself did take the ouerthrow Yit will I make a iust report in order of the same For why too haue the woorser hand was not so great a shame As was the honor such a match too vndertake And much It comforts mée that he who did mée ouercome was such A valiant champion If perchaunce you erst haue heard the name Of Deyanyre the fayrest Mayd that euer God did frame Shée was in myne opinion And the hope too win her loue Did mickle enuy and debate among hir wooers moue With whome I entring too the house of him that should haue bée My fathrilaw Parthaons sonne I sayd accept thou mée Thy Sonnylaw And Hercules in self same sort did woo And all the other suters streight gaue place vntoo vs twoo He vaunted of his father Ioue and of his famous déedes And how ageinst his stepdames spyght his prowesse still procéedes And I ageine a toother syde sayd thus It is a shame That God should yéeld too man this stryfe was long ere he became A God Thou séeist mée a Lord of waters in thy Realme Where I in wyde and wynding banks doo beare my flowing streame No straunger shalt thou haue of mée sent farre from forreine land But one of household or at least a neyghbour héere at hand Alonly let it bée too mée no hindrance that the wyfe Of Ioue abhorres mée not ne that vpon the paine of lyfe Shée sets mée not too task For where thou bostest thée too bée Alâ—menas sonne Ioue eyther is not father vnto thée Or if he bée it is by sin In making Ioue thy father Thou maakst thy mother but a whoore now choose thée whither rather Thou had too graunt this tale of Ioue surmised for too bée Or else thy selfe begot in shame and borne in bastardée At that he grimly bendes his browes and much a doo he hath Too hold his hands so sore his hart inflamed is with wrath He said no more but thus My hand dooth serue mée better than My toong Content I am so I in feighting vanquish can That thou shalt ouercome in wordes And therewithall he gan Mée feercely to assaile Mée thought it was a shame for mée That had euen now so stoutly talkt in dooings faint too bée I casting of my gréenish cloke thrust stifly out at length Mine armes and streynd my
timber choke His chappes let weyght enforce his death in stead of wounding stroke This sayd by chaunce he gets a trée blowne downe by blustring blasts Of Southerne wynds and on his fo with all his myght it casts And gaue example too the rest too doo the like Within A whyle the shadowes which did hyde mount Pehon waxed thin And not a trée was left vppon mount Othris ere they went Sir Cenye vnderneathe this greate howge pyle of timber pent Did chauf and on his shoulders hard the heauy logges did beare But when aboue his face and head the trées vp stacked were So that he had no venting place too drawe his breth One whyle He faynted and anotherwhyle he heaued at the pyle Too tumble downe the loggs that lay so heauy on his backe And for too winne the open ayre ageine aboue the stacke As if the mountayne Ida lo which yoonder we doo sée So hygh by earth quake at a tyme should chaunce to shaken bée Men dowt what did become of him Sum hold opinion that The burthen of the woodes had driuen his soule too Limbo flat But Mopsus sayd it was not so For he did sée a browne Bird flying from amid the stacke and towring vp and downe It was the first tyme and the last that euer I behild That fowle When Mopsus softly saw him soring in the féeld He looked wistly after him and cryed out on hye Hayle péerlesse perle of Lapith race hayle Ceny late ago A valeant knyght and now a bird of whom there is no mo The author caused men beléeue the matter too bee so Our sorrow set vs in a rage It was too vs a gréef That by so many foes one knyght was killd without reléef Then ceast wee not too wreake our â—éene till most was slaine in fyght And that the rest discomfitâ—d were fled away by nyght As Nestor all the processe of this battell did reherce Betwéene the valeant Lapithes and misshapen Centavvres ferce Tlepolemus displeased sore that Hercules was past With silence could not hold his peace but out theis woordes did cast My Lord I muse you should forget my fathers prayse so quyght For often vntoo mée himself was woonted too recite How that the clowdbred folk by him were chéefly put too flyght Ryght sadly Nestor answerd thus Why should you mée constreyne Too call too mynd forgotten gréefs and for to réere ageine The sorrowes now outworne by tyme or force mée too declare The hatred and displeasure which I too your father bare In sooth his dooings greater were than myght bée well beléeued He fild the world with high renowme which nobly he atchéeued Which thing I would I could denye For neyther set wee out Deïphobus Polydamas nor Hector that most stout And valeant knyght the strength of Troy For whoo will prayse his fo Your father ouerthrew the walles of Messen long ago And razed Pyle and Ely townes vnwoorthye seruing so And feerce ageinst my fathers house hée vsde bothe swoord and fyre And not too speake of others whom he killed in his tre Twyce six wée were the sonnes of Nele all lusty gentlemen Twyce six of vs excepting mée by him were murthred then The death of all the rest myght seeme a matter not so straunge But straunge was Periclymens death whoo had the powre too chaunge And leaue and take what shape he list by Neptune too him giuen The founder of the house of Nele For when he had béene driuen Too try all shapes and none could help he last of all became The fowle that in his hooked féete dooth beare the flasshing flame Sent downe from heauen by Iupiter He practising those birds With flapping wings and bowwing beake and hooked talants girds At Hercle and béescratcht his face Too certeine I may say Thy father amde his shaft at him For as hée towring lay Among the clowdes he hit him vnderneath the wing The stroke Was small Howbéet bycause therwith the sinewes being broke He wanted strength too maynteine flyght he fell me too the ground Through weakenesse of his wing The shaft that sticked in the wound By reason of the burthen of his bodye perst his syde And at the leftsyde of his necke all bloodye foorth did glyde Now tell mée O thou beawtyfull Lord Amirall of the fléete Of Rhodes if mée too speake the prayse of Hercle it bée méete But least that of my brothers deathes men think I doo desyre A further vendge than silence of the prowesse of thy syre I loue thée euen with all my hart and take thée for my fréend When Nestor of his pleasant tales had made this fréendly end They called for a boll of wyne and from the table went And all the resdew of the nyght in sléeping soundly spent But neptune like a father tooke the matter sore too hart That Cygnet too a Swan he was constreyned too conuert And hating féerce Achilles he did wreake his cruell téene Uppon him more vncourteously than had beséeming béene For when the warres well neere full twyce fyue yéeres had lasted Hée Unshorne Apollo thus bespake O neuew vntoo mée Most déere of all my brothers impes who helpedst mée too lay Foundation of the walles of Troy for which we had no pay And canst thou syghes forbeare too sée the Asian Empyre fall And dooth it not lament thy hart when thou too mynd doost call So many thousand people slayne in kéeping Ilion wall Or too th entent particlerly I doo not speake of all Remembrest thou not Hectors Ghost whoo harryed was about His towne of Troy where nerethelesse Achilles that same stout And farre in fyght more butcherly whoo stryues with all his myght Too stroy the woorke of mée and thée liues still in healthfull plyght â–ª If euer hée doo come within my daunger he shall féele What force is in my tryple mace But sith with swoord of stéele I may not méete him as my fo I pray thée vnbéeware Go kill him with a sodeine shaft and rid mée of my care Apollo did consent as well his vncle for too please As also for a pryuate grudge himself had for too ease And in a clowd he downe among the host of Troy did slyde Where Paris dribbling out his shaftes among the Gréekes hée spyde And telling him what God he was sayd wherfore doost thou waast Thyne arrowes on the simple sort It any care thou haste Of those that are thy fréendes go turne ageinst Achilles head And like a man reuendge on him thy brothers that are dead In saying this he brought him where Achilles with his brond Was beating downe the Troiane folk and leueld so his hond As that Achilles tumbled downe starke dead vppon the lond This was the onely thing wherof the old king Priam myght Take comfort after Hectors death That stout and valeant knyght Achilles whoo had ouerthrowen so many men in fyght Was by that coward carpet knyght béeréeued of his lyfe Whoo like a caytif stale away the Spartane princes wyfe But if of
lust Of one what God so ere he was disdeyning former fare Too cram that cruell croppe of his with fleshmeate did not spare He made a way for wickednesse And first of all the knyfe Was staynd with blood of sauage beastes in ridding them of lyfe And that had nothing béene amisse if there had béene the stay For why wée graunt without the breach of godlynesse wée may By death confound the things that séeke too take our lyues away But as too kill them reason was euen so agein theyr was No reason why too eate theyr flesh This leawdnesse thence did passe On further still Wheras there was no sacrifyse beforne The Swyne bycause with hoked groyne he wrooted vp the corne And did deceyue the tillmen of theyr hope next yéere thereby Was déemed woorthy by desert in sacrifyse too dye The Goate for byghting vynes was slayne at Bacchus altar whoo Wreakes such misdéedes Theyr owne offence was hurtful to theis twoo But what haue you poore shéepe misdoone a cattell méeke and méeld Created for too maynteine man whoos 's fulsomme duggs doo yéeld Swéete Nectar whoo dooth clothe vs with your wooll in soft aray Whoose lyfe dooth more vs benefite than dooth your death farreway What trespasse haue the Oxen doone a beast without all guyle Or craft vnhurtfull simple borne too labour euery whyle In fayth he is vnmyndfull and vnwoorthy of increace Of corne that in his hart can fynd his tilman too releace From plowgh too cut his throte that in his hart can fynde I say Those neckes with hatchets of too strike whoos 's skinne is worne away With labring ay for him whoo turnd so oft his land most tough Whoo brought so many haruestes home yit is it not ynough That such a great outrageousenesse committed is They father Theyr wickednesse vppon the Goddes And falsly they doo gather That in the death of peynfull Ox the hyghest dooth delyght A sacrifyse vnblemished and fayrest vntoo syght For beawtye woorketh them theyr bane adornd with garlonds and With glittring gold is cyted at the altar for too stand There héere 's he woordes he wotes not what y â— which y â— préest dooth pray And on his forehead suffereth him betwéene his hornes too lay The eares of corne that he himself hath wrought for in the clay And stayneth with his blood the knyfe that he himself perchaunce Hathe in the water shéere ere then behild by soodein glaunce Immediatly they haling out his hartstrings still aliue And poring on them séeke therein Goddes secrets too reâ—ryue Whence commes so gréedy appetyte in men of wicked meate And dare yée O yée mortall men aduenture thus too eate Nay doo not I beséeche yée so But giue good â—are and héede Too that that I shall warne you of and trust it as your créede That whensoeuer you doo eate your Oxen you deuowre Your husbandmen And forasmuch as God this instant howre Dooth moue my toong too speake I will obey his heauenly powre My God Apollos temple I will set you open and Disclose the woondrous heauens themselues and make you vnderstand The Oracles and secrets of the Godly maiestye Greate things and such as wit of man could neuer yit espye And such as haue béene hidden long I purpose too descrye I mynd too leaue the earth and vp among the starres too slye I mynd too leaue this grosser place and in the clowdes too flye And on stowt Atlas shoulders strong too rest my self on hye And looking downe from heauen on men that wander heere and there In dreadfull feare of death as though they voyd of reason were Too giue them exhortation thus and playnely too vnwynd The whole discourse of destinie as nature hath assignd O men amaazd with dread of death why feare yée Limbo Styx And other names of vanitie which are but Poets tricks And perrills of another world all false surmysed géere For whither fyre or length of tyme consume the bodyes héere Yee well may thinke that further harmes they cannot suffer more For soules are frée from death Howbéet they liuing euermore Theyr former dwellings are receyud and liue ageine in new For I myself ryght well in mynd I beare it too be trew Was in the tyme of Troian warre Euphorbus Panthevves sonne Quyght through whoos 's hart the deathfull speare of Menelay did ronne I late age in Iunos Church at Argos did behold And knew the target which I in my left hand there did hold Al things doo chauÌ„ge But nothing sure dooth perrish This same spright Dooth fléete and fisking héere and there dooth swiftly take his flyght From one place too another place and entreth euery wyght Remouing out of man too beast and out of beast too man But yit it neuer perrisheth nor neuer perrish can And euen as supple wax with ease receyueth fygures straunge And kéepes not ay one shape ne bydes assured ay from chaunge And yit continueth alwayes wax in substaunce So I say The soule is ay the selfsame thing it was and yit astray It fléeteth intoo sundry shapes Therfore least Godlynesse Bée vanquisht by outragious lust of belly beastlynesse Forbeare I speake by prophesie your kinsfolkes ghostes too chace By slaughter neyther nourish blood with blood in any cace And sith on open sea the wynds doo blow my sayles apace In all the world there is not that that standeth at a stay Things eb and flow and euery shape is made too passe away The tyme itself continually is fléeting like a brooke For neyther brooke nor lyghtsomme tyme can tarrye still But looke As euery waue dryues other foorth and that that commes behynd Bothe thrusteth and is thrust itself Euen so the tymes by kynd Doo fly and follow bothe at once and euermore renew For that that was before is left and streyght there dooth ensew Anoother that was neuer erst Eche twincling of an eye Dooth chaunge Wée see that after day commes nyght and darks the sky And after nyght the lyghtsum Sunne succéedeth orderly Like colour is not in the heauen when all things wéery lye At midnyght â—ound a sléepe as when the daystarre cléere and bryght Commes foorth vppon his milkwhyght stéede Ageine in other plyght The morning Pallants daughter fayre the messenger of lyght Deliuereth intoo Phebus handes the world of cléerer hew The circle also of the sonne what â—yme it ryseth new And when it setteth looketh red â–ª but when it mounts most hye Then lookes it whyght bycause that there the nature of the skye Is better and from filthye drosse of earth dooth further flye The image also of the Moone that shyneth ay by nyght Is neuer of one quantitie For that that giueth lyght Too day is lesser than the next that followeth till the full And then contrarywyse eche day her lyght away dooth pull What seest thou not how that the yéere as representing playne The age of man departes itself in quarters fowre first bayne And tender in the spring it is euen like a sucking babe Then gréene and